Marvel Legends - MARVEL GIRL!

Marvel Legends - Walmart Exc Twin Packs - Cable & Marvel Girl - Hasbro 2007

Hot on the heels of yesterday's 1997 Toy Biz Marvel Girl figure comes this early 2007 Marvel Legends Jean. This was an odd transition time for Marvel Legends females. Hasbro took over from ToyBiz in 2006, and the production quality hadn't quite hit its groove. A year after this figure in 2008, the female characters looked great (see my recent 2008 Elektra post), but in 2007 they still looked scrawny with awkward limbs and flat faces. I remember being very excited to get this figure of Marvel Girl in my favorite costume. However, I also remember finally gazing at her in Walmart and being terribly disappointed at how off she seemed. The proportions were (slightly) unnatural, the gold paint in place of yellow looked wrong, and her face sculpt just looked cheesy. Still, I always half-wished I had picked her up. The announcement of the 2021 House of X Marvel Legends Jean in this costume was the push I needed to finally get her. My original criticisms still hold merit, but I'm still glad to have her. Let's check out Marvel girl below!

Toy Biz - MARVEL GIRL!

Marvel Comics - Marvel's Gold - Collector's LE 10,000 - Marvel Girl - Toy Biz 1997

It's difficult to collect vintage figures sometimes because every once in a while you come across a toy that has little to no redeeming qualities. One of my favorite collecting  goals is to get all versions of a specific character and display them in a cluster. Especially when there is a unique costume that I'm especially drawn to. This classic green and yellow mini-skirt look for Jean Grey has always been one of my favorites. She wore it from X-Men #39 in 1967 until X-Men #100 in 1976. The reprints of these stories in Classic X-Men was my first exposure to the X-Men, so it is a very nostalgic look for me. Nothing made me more excited than seeing the return of this costume for 2019's House of X storyline. But at the same time, I just knew there would finally be a great Legends figure made and I would feel compelled to track down all the early awful offerings of this costume. That brings us to this 1997 Toy Biz figure. The first time this costume ever saw life in plastic, and it was pretty tragic. Let's check her out below!

MOTU Origins - SHE-RA!

Masters of the Universe Origins - Evil-Lyn (Princess of Power) - Mattel 2021

I think any collector who invested in the Power-Con exclusive She-Ra was cursing Mattel the day they showed the cross-sell art in a Power-Con video and confirmed a standard store release of the character, seemingly identical, was on the way. There is nothing more frustrating to me as a collector than investing in (often over-priced) exclusives only to discover that the only exclusive feature was the packaging, or even worse a measly sticker. I was ticked off personally, especially since I open all my toys. But thankfully the eventual store release featured a new head composed of. hard plastic and fully sculpted hair. If I knew this figure was coming last Spring, I probably would have skipped the Power-Con preorder, but in retrospect I'm glad to have them both. The Power-Con version looks more polished and of a higher quality overall, but they both have good attributes. Hopefully a whole Princess of Power line will follow (with an eventual Filmation She-Ra as well). Let's check out the Origins She-Ra below!

35th Anniversary Power-Con - SHE-RA!

Masters of the Universe Origins - She-Ra - Power-Con Exclusive - Mattel 2020

I have always struggled with vintage She-Ra toys. The classic cartoon was amazing to me. Having a whole cast of dynamic and strong females was groundbreaking. And the fact that this gender-bridging show gave me "permission" to peruse the pink aisles at the toy stores was an amazing gift. I loved looking at all the colorful pink packaging and all the glorious pastel characters robed in glittery metallics. But my fascination ended there. The toys only peripherally resembled their cartoon counterparts, and I always had an aversion to soft goods on toys. It wasn't because I avoided "doll" attributes, but rather that I thought the production looked messy and distracted from the illusion of action figure play. But as an adult collector, I regret having this major piece of cartoon nostalgia absent from my collection. That's why I was really excited to get this Power-Con exclusive She-Ra. I still stink the soft goods are a total mess, but I can handle it in small doses these days. Let's check out She-Ra below!

Toy Biz - SHE-HULK!

Marvel Comics: The Incredible Hulk - She-Hulk (Gamma Crossbow) - Toy Biz 1996

I've been sick for a week but today the announcement of a new Marvel Legends She-Hulk figure thankfully brought me out of my funk a bit. I adored the Gray Hulk version of Jennifer Walters we got last year, and I eventually read and really enjoyed that comic (the 2017 Hulk series), but I'll admit, despite my admiration for gray Jennifer, I always had my fingers crossed for a classic green repaint of that mold. And today was that long-awaited day. So in honor of my happy green day, I decided to post a flashback review to the first She-Hulk figure from the 1996 Toy Biz Hulk line. It's actually surprising it took 5 years into the Toy Biz Marvel lines to finally get us this green goddess. She seems way more popular that most of the B-and-C-listers that came before her. It's probably because she required an original mold. And it's quite a unique mold too, at over 6", she towers over almost every other Toy Biz figure, especially the females. She's not perfect, but still a really fun toy to have. Let's check her out below!

Final Faction - SHIFT!

Final Faction - Alpha Team 1 - Specialist Shift - Greenbrier International 2020

It seems that roughly every ten years there is a knockoff G.I.Joe line that will give us some good female action figures. Back around late 80s, Olmec gave us Agent Telepathy in the Bronze Bombers line. In 2000, Lanard released the Wow Action Girls line which featured a ton of sport and career themed females. In 2010 Greenbrier released S.T.O.P. vs S.C.U.M. including the Dreadnok-looking Lady Lead. And finally in 2020, Greenbrier again gives us the Final Faction line and Specialist Shift. Greenbrier International is the in-house branding arm of Dollar Tree, so you'll see this company name on a lot of products there. I think these figures are very impressive considering they only cost a dollar. The sculpts are lovely, the designs are fun, the paint application is pretty good, and the plastic quality is decent. But the very best part of these toys is the hunt. There is rarely any notice before people start posting finds online. And Dollar Trees are pretty much everywhere. Let's check out Shift below!

Tron Legacy - QUORRA!

Tron Legacy - 3.75" Action Figures Series 02 - Quorra - Spinmaster Toys 2010

Very few properties have quite the same nostalgic punch for me than Tron does. I watched the original movie countless times in my youth. I found it mesmerizing, confusing, and even scary. But still, every time it would come on TV, I would be glued to the set. And I would always try to slip the tape into our basket at the video rental store, despite having taped if off the TV. There was no rhyme or reason, I was just drawn to it. When the 2010 Tron Legacy movie was announced, I was very excited. But when I finally saw it, I found it forgettable. Fun, but forgettable. I fully plan on watching it again soon with an open mind, but at the time it just didn't capture my fancy. In fact, the 2008 Speed Racer film seemed more in the visual spirit of Tron than Legacy did. It's on my Disney+ list so I will revisit it shortly. Spinmaster had the main toy license and put out a decent number of 6" and 3.75" figures. The only merchandized female was Quorra in the second wave of the 3.75" figures. Let's check her out below!

A Long Overdue 2018 YEAR-END REVIEW!

A Collection of 2018's Most Amazing Female Action Figures All In One Post

Yes you are reading that right. 2018. I had a desire to do a year-end review for 2020, but I'm pretty obsessive-compulsive and my last annual post like that was for 2017 (so unfortunately I have some catching-up to do). But looking back on a recent yesteryear is pretty fun. It's so easy in this collecting life to get caught up in what's coming next on the horizon, but we are living through some amazing times and it's nice to slow down and celebrate the hobby. Action figures are getting better and better every year and the nostalgia game in the toy aisles is stronger than ever.  I find myself holding a new toy every few months that surprises me with it's very existence. So looking back on 2018 is very humbling. I remember opening all these toys like it was yesterday. But even I can admit that they are already overshadowed by newer shinier purchases. I'm looking forward to posting a similar 2019 review in the coming months. It will be nice to be all current by this time next year. Let's check out 2018 below!